Duran Duran’s “Rio”: John Taylor’s Isolated Bass Line
John Taylor really brought it in the Duran Duran tune “Rio”. His active bass line locks in with the drums and drives the song forward. Luckily, we have a video of Taylor’s isolated bass line to scope out his groove and tone.
PocketLabworks Releases PocketHz Tuning and Song Training App
PocketLabworks has launched the PocketHz for iOS, an app that brings together a tuner and a song trainer. The tuner utilizes the company’s WarpSpeed pitch detection technology, which engineer Kevin Robertson explains warps the frequencies for even measurement across all octaves. It covers 8-octaves to reach down to a low B-string, high C-string and beyond. The song training half of...
Mono Announces “The Tick” Accessory Gig Bag
Mono Cases has introduced the Guitar Tick, a new accessory bag that attaches to your M80 bass or guitar case. The new case adds extra space and easily clips onto newer Mono cases equipped with D-rings to allow full access to your instrument. The Tick can hold lots of extra gear with a cable strap and mesh pocket for organization....
Nick Schendzielos To Sit Out Summer Slaughter Tour Performances
Job For a Cowboy bassist Nick Schendzielos has announced he will be sitting out part of the band’s upcoming performances on the Summer Slaughter Tour, which runs July through August. The Red Chord guitarist Mike “Gunface” McKenzie will be filling in. “On June 28, immediately after landing in Boston to rehearse for Puerto Rico/Summer Slaughter, my girlfriend was in a...
Nordstrand Pickups Introduces NP4V Vintage P Pickup
Nordstand Pickups has expanded their NP4 line with the NP4V, a P-style pickup designed to deliver old school tone. The new pickup is “made to exacting early 60’s specs”, including its vintage correct size traditional Alnico V magnets. The NP4V acts as a direct replacement and fits into nearly all P-style basses. Its split coil hum-canceling configuration offers noise-free operation,...
Bass of the Week: Zakrzewski Exclusive
Polish luthier Piotr Zakrzewski has some pretty great bass designs, including his Exclusive model. The mid-range of his three basic basses, the Exclusive is a double-cut bass with the lower horn being significantly deeper to provide easy access to the very end of the fingerboard. The Exclusive EX1 01 really caught my eye with its faux f-hole, which provides more...
Tom Tom Club to Release First New Material in 12 Years
New Wave band Tom Tom Club has announced Downtown Rockers, their first new release in 12 years. Available digitally on September 4th with a vinyl edition coming September 11th, the EP will pay homage to now defunct nightclub CBGB, where the musicians got their start. “It was our incubator,” bassist/vocalist Tina Weymouth told Rolling Stone. “It was very intimidating to...
TC Electronic Unveils BH250 Bass Amplifier for Summer NAMM
With Summer NAMM just around the corner, TC Electronic has unveiled their most compact bass amplifier to date: the BH250. Weighing in at just four pounds, the Class D amplifier boasts 250-watts while packing in the company’s intelligently contoured tone controls and TonePrint among other features. The BH250’s tone controls are tailored specifically for bass. Instead of single frequency bands...
Pi Electro Step and Wojtek Pilichowski: Bass Dance
Wojtek Pilichowski is a bassist that blows me away every time I watch him. Tony Oppenheim sent in this video of the bassist performing the song “Bass Dance” with his group Pi Electro Step at the Thanks Jimi Festival in Wroclaw, Poland. (And we’re now eternally grateful. Thanks Tony!) Once Pilichowski busts out his solo at the three minute mark,...
Steve Bailey Named Chair of Berklee’s Bass Department
After 40 years at the helm, Rich Appleman retired as Chair of the Berklee College of Music’s Bass Department in May of this year. During his tenure, Appleman helped shape the face of the school by growing the bass department by leaps and bounds. Succeeding Appleman this fall will be bassist Steve Bailey, who brings his own incredible credentials to...
Erena Terakubo Releases “New York Attitude”, Featuring Ron Carter
At only 20 years old, Erena Terakubo is off to an amazing start. The Japanese alto saxophonist has made her North American debut with New York Attitude, tapping some legendary jazz musicians for the occasion: bassist Ron Carter, pianist Kenny Barron, drummer Lee Pearson and trumpeter Dominic Farinacci. Carter’s unmistakable swing permeates and pushes each track as Terakubo practically sings...
Birdsong Guitars Introduces Corto2 Bass
In addition to their new Embrace model, Birdsong Guitars is celebrating their 8th anniversary with the introduction of the Corto2. The new bass is a take on their flagship short-scale Cortobass and features rear-routing with a pair of Kent Armstrong soapbar pickups. Other changes include a more refined body with subtle recurving. Though many options are available, the bass comes...